


Caught in the Rain

by fragilevixen



Category: The X-Files
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, F/M, Light Angst, Post-Movie: The X-Files: Fight the Future (1998), Romance, Unresolved Emotional Tension
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-22
Updated: 2018-12-22
Packaged: 2019-09-24 16:00:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,711
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17103647
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fragilevixen/pseuds/fragilevixen
Summary: A dark, rainy night leads Mulder and Scully to a hole in the wall bar where glasses of Scotch and unresolved tension is re-visited.Prompt: Preference to pre-season 8 (no breakups) but otherwise free reign."Is it real?We're always the sameWe're almost undone nowI was caught in the rain, wastin' my time on the ground.Waiting the call of what would you say and can you come over?I was caught in the rain, wastin' my time on the ground."





	Caught in the Rain

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Bob79519](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bob79519/gifts).



> Post-FTF – if there was a specific date mentioned in the movie, I didn’t catch it so, for my own sanity, I have chosen a date that works for this particular topic/fic.
> 
> Disclaimer: Agent Scully, Agent Mulder, and Assistant Director Skinner belong respectively to Chris Carter, FOX Productions, and TenThirteen Productions. All other characters are original and any likeness or named similarities to any real-life persons are purely coincidental (unless, well, you’ve been told, then you should’ve expected such things and shouldn’t get upset over anything that happens to them, respectively)

 

 

_It was you_

_Who could get me high with whatever you say_

_You’re telling me something real_

_What we do doesn’t matter now_

_Whatever it takes for you to stay with me_

-Revis

 

11:00 PM, Sunday Night, June 28th 1998

Nearby the exterior of The Tune Inn

331 (and a half) Pennsylvania Ave SE, Washington DC

 

                _Am I cursed?_

                Scully’s brain was addled, confused as she carefully avoided the dips in the cement, her heels slapping against the heavily saturated grade underneath of her feet, disrupting the direction of the splashes with every step she took. It wasn’t enough that she had to glance down as she blindly pushed the wet strands of hair out of her face and did her best to hold her heavily saturated jacket shut as a gust of wind harshly left its mark across her skin, leaving behind streaks of not-so-waterproof mascara and watermarks in the finish of her lipstick. She caught her reflection in a window of a closed clothing shop and didn’t recognize the woman looking back—disheveled, a wreck, bordering on an emotionally unstable mess that was hanging by a thread. She had been walking for a while and the ache along her calf muscles provided the healthy reminder that her choice of footwear had been lazy, at best. The length of this contemplative walk wasn’t planned for and her attire was the icing on the cake of “why did I just do this?” as she held onto the edge of a newspaper stand while stretching out her legs.

                Lack of a plan had carried her off the beaten path, down a set of streets that she hadn’t explored before, and the fluttering in her belly of the jumbled thoughts simply added to the algorithm of what had been another fucked up month that she’d rather forget. At least she thought she did.

                It was quiet, almost desolate, along the typically busy and bustling section of Pennsylvania Avenue that Scully had wandered into just blocks away from the Capitol Building. She turned her head and looked at the quaint row of old buildings, some of which still had their neon “open” lights on and burning bright in the window, each beckoning her in a different way, each carrying a different message that had her contemplating whether to take a risk or turn the other direction. As she continued down the wet, rain soaked sidewalk, her full attention to her right hand side on the quiet little dive with the squeaky door, beyond the awning of the busy “Hawk ‘n’ Dove” bar that nearly overshadowed it. She wiped the streaks of black mascara from beneath her eyes as she approached,  the relief hitting her before she even knew what to expect from inside.

                It wasn’t the definition of ideal as she pulled the door open and felt the resistance against it, followed by the warmth behind but the reward finally came from smelling of hops, liquor, and bar fare as she stood and stared at the antler chandelier hanging from the ceiling at the end of the bar while dripping on the welcome mat.

                “Oooh, shit, love, what in the hell made you go wandering out in this downpour from hell?” The voice wasn’t a welcomed melody or a sonnet against her ears as it came from behind the bar, but it was masculine, gritty, and a little amused beneath the almost baritone vocal tone.

                Scully blinked rapidly and made eye contact with him, slowly wringing her hair out as she approached the bar near the corner, her back to the window, sliding onto a stool. “Entirely too much thinking for my own good and it led to more walking than should be legally allowed by any human in these shoes.”

                “Rough night?” He was awfully cute but not at all her type behind those grayish-blue eyes and overly coiffed hair with the perfectly maintained facial hair to match as he reached for a couple of napkins, offering them to her, a single eyebrow raised. “Boyfriend troubles? Husband? Girlfriend? Both?”

                Scully rolled her eyes and roughly wiped away the mess of makeup and raindrops along her cheeks, smiling far bigger than she intended on as she glanced at his nametag, returning the same elevated eyebrow as she crossed her legs. “None of the above…Todd.”

                “Well, alright, then you definitely need a drink, wouldn’t you say, love? So, what’ll it be?” Todd had a bright smile as he tossed his towel over his shoulder and gripped the edge of the bar, momentarily glancing back at the expanse of the space to keep an eye on the remainder of people in the space. “Or were you planning on just sitting there looking overdressed, soaked to the bone, and tense without a drink in front of you?”

                “Well, what do you typically recommend to someone who can’t seem to shut off their brain for more than three seconds, who is stuck in a perpetual loop thinking about how close they came to destroying a perfectly good friendship with someone?” Scully already had her mind on what nearly happened in the hallway outside of Mulder’s apartment as the heat flushed her cheeks in three seconds flat.

                “Drink enough of just about anything and you’ll stop thinking about a lot of things but it sounds like, for your masochistic situation…Scotch on the rocks,” Todd was definitely brazen and a little out there as he emphasized the word ‘masochistic’ while pulling a bottle of Glenlivet off of the top shelf, momentarily turning his back on Scully.

                Scully audibly scoffed at him, almost horrified at the idea but intrigued at it at the same time, as Todd poured her the drink over ice, the tone of her voice taking a pitchy journey as she found herself pouring it out, figuratively. “I know what that means and I don’t think it falls into the wildly accepted definition…I have been consumed by thoughts that I can’t escape, I’m beating myself up over it, and I truly don’t know which way is up or down, none of which is pleasant, by the way, and I wouldn’t be so willing to tell a perfect stranger under ordinary circumstances but here I am, doing just that.”

                “Uh huh…masochist,” Todd chuckled and pushed the rocks glass in front of her, the Amber liquid dancing in front of her as he propped up his chin with his palm, smirking at Scully as she avoided making eye contact with him. “So what’s your name, masochist?”

                Scully had the glass between her fingers, the aroma of oak, vanilla, honey, nutmeg flooded her senses with a hint of fruit beneath, almost lulling her into a false sense of security over how much she could safely drink before losing control of her tongue, or worse. She took a solitary sip and let the heavier citrus and apple caress with the burn of the alcohol that followed as she swallowed. The choice, while presumptive, was likely the right one despite the fact that her brain immediately went right back to that fucking hallway—knowing how close she came to swiping a blur in the perfectly constructed line between herself and Mulder. She had known for so long how much she had wanted to run, either straight to the comfort of his arms or for the elevator, neither of which provided much vision of sanity for a conclusion after the fact, in any case.

                This was one way to keep from experiencing failure and the bitterest sting of rejection, she supposed.

                “It’s Dana, Dana Scully,” Scully knew her cheeks must’ve been lit up like a Christmas tree as the glass made a tap against the bar top, her eyes focused on the rippling around the cubes of ice as they rolled around in the Amber liquid. “It dawned on me that I haven’t drank anything beyond a glass of wine in a long time. I don’t know what will come tumbling out of my mouth so I apologize in advance for anything unnecessary.”

                “Well, Dana, I’m cheaper than a therapist, I don’t judge anything that might slip out and I hear so here much that it’s difficult to retain it,” Todd put the bottle of Glenlivet back, his laughter evident as he turned around and braced against the drawer.

                Somehow, she knew that the idea was close to the truth but it had her heart beating up into her throat at the mere idea of anyone stumbling onto a Freudian slip while mildly intoxicated. Carefully guarding her thoughts about Mulder had kept her safe for so long and that safety net no longer felt so securely beneath her, nor did it seem as though it would hold her if she were to fall. It was that “you’ve gotten yourself into this situation, now deal with it” realization as Scully held her breath, forcing a smile at the curious bartender across from her. Scully was precariously dangling on the edge of something palpable, raw, and the ignition switch was between her fingers and tasted awfully good.

                Scully straightened her back and slid the sleeves of her outer jacket down, removing the saturated material before tossing it across the stool beside her. “Oh, I’m sure you hear some interesting details about people’s private lives that you’d love to erase permanently from your memory banks.”

                “Boy, would I?” Todd nodded, sipping a diet soda from a plastic cup just below the lip of the bar top, making a slightly sour face as he renewed eye contact with Scully. “There are things that happen here that make a man shudder—but it’s all in good fun, for the most part.”

                “My woes are boring, run of the mill, and highly average, likely bordering on plaintive,” Scully took another sip, the burn a little more intense than the first as she felt it coursing through her chest before she let the glass come back down to the lacquer bar top. “I am transfixed on realizing that I am stuck, each day of my life, looking at the one thing that I didn’t know how badly I wanted and I have no idea if it’s mutually felt or if I lost that chance already by being austere.”

                “Your definition of boring and mine are vastly different, Dana,” Todd looked at the half empty glass in front of Scully and instinctively reached for the bottle, topping it off without being asked. “Sounds like you need to tell the guy you’re obviously talking about how you feel or forget about it? Either way, let it out or let it go?”

                Scully bit down on her bottom lip, sucking it into her mouth as she thought about how close they had been and how quickly it slipped away. “Forgetting the effect a person with that kind of passion, fire, and intensity has on you is a little easier said than actually done…I’ve come to notice.”

                “Now I’m intrigued and you have to spill the details about this guy,” Todd didn’t put the bottle away, he simply set it to the side and leaned against his elbow, a grin on his lips as he continued, almost too enthusiastically. “Is he tall? Dark? Mysterious? Is he delicious? Don’t spare any tidbits, Dana, lay it on me.”

                The belly laugh that left Scully’s lips was louder than expected as she nearly spilled her drink on the front of her blouse after another healthy swallow of it, delicately balancing it in her hand. “Oh my God, you’re absolutely terrible! Has anyone ever told you that?”

                “Guilty as charged but I’m not giving up, so out with it,” Todd’s effervescent energy radiated off of him and Scully felt comfortable with him in spite of herself as she poked an ice cube with the tip of her index finger.

                “I can’t believe I’m even telling you this ,” Scully leaned forward and put her elbows on the edge of the bar, covering her face for a moment as she gathered the thoughts, revealing an even more flushed face as caution abandoned. “Have you ever felt like you were mere milliseconds from leaping off a ledge, throwing the last remnants of a strictly professional relationship into the wind, exposing every bit of your vulnerability to that person, but something happened and it all came crashing down into pieces like broken glass?”

                “I can’t say that I’ve experienced something quite that intense,” Todd was watching her grappling with emotions as she took another nip of the drink.

                Scully inhaled a deep breath and let it out like she was relieved to let it go, let anyone hear it. “I was so ready to walk away and he pulled me back in like he really wanted me there, then it was over before I even could fully blink. Everything went back to the way it was and we’ve been acting like nothing happened but…I’m still standing in that fucking hallway with a breath on my lips that no one finished, and I don’t even know if he actually wanted me to be there or just needed me to stay, to make everything like it was.”

                Todd’s stance changed as he lifted his head and turned toward neon in the front window, the expression on his face changing from concern to a light smile as the cold breeze caught Scully across the back with the closing of the front door. “Well, hi there, you look like you’ve just walked through a rinse cycle—come in, get dry, we don’t bite.”

                The walls of the hole in the wall bar kept the deluge of precipitation outside at bay until the door opened and closed, ushering in another body that had the gooseflesh forming across Scully’s back in an instant. The silence was deafening as the water logged footsteps squished along the flooring before she finally looked up from the finger induced swirling vortex in the middle of her glass. Her core shook as she lifted her head and saw the unmistakable hazel eyes burning from five feet away, his clothes dripping, hair flat against his skin from the onslaught of the cloudburst that he had clearly been out in for quite a while. Scully swallowed hard against the urge to vomit as she felt the stare on her like a tractor beam despite the distance he was imposing on her as he purposely took a seat kitty corner from her at the bar, his lips pressed together almost pensively. He had put distance between them, but kept enough closeness that each curve, each little flinch of his skin was noticeable and evident to Scully. The look made her ache in about thirty different ways and all of which conflicted with each other as she reached for the glass, desperate to break the eye contact.

                “I didn’t know if anyone would be open at this time of night,” Mulder’s voice nearly leveled Scully as he settled onto the bar stool, averting his eyes away from her to Todd’s general direction, forcing a flat, cordial smile.

                She recognized that phony grin from a mile away and knew she was in for it as the undertones of his voice reeked of exasperation and thin patience.

                “Gotta keep an eye out for the lost individual even on a Sunday to get a drink or three,” Todd glanced at Scully, immediately taking note over the increased tension she was oozing before fully making eye contact with Mulder. “On that topic…what can I get for you while you dry off?”

                “Scotch on the rocks?” Mulder was eyeing the bottle of tequila but there was anger half playing with his emotional stability as he could see Scully’s hands shaking in his peripheral. “Isn’t the early summer rain supposed to at least be warm or did DC skip out on that memo?”

                “I’ve noticed that some of these storms are chillier late at night with a heavy wind to go along with it…seems like that’s what we’ve got on our hands tonight,” Todd slid the glass of Glenlivet in front of Mulder, gave him a subtle nod and turned toward Scully with the bottle in his hand, instinctively topping off the glass despite the fact she barely needed it. “You’ve got more than enough in that glass to continue that story so do go on…Tell me more about the guy, does he know anything?”

                Scully was like the deer in the headlights as the subject of her discussion was sitting just a few feet away from her, looking like he was seconds from downing his drink, flipping her off, and walking out as his jaw began to flinch. “Keep pouring Scotch in my glass and the only information coming out of my mouth will be different pitches of laughter—I told you that I don’t drink.”

                Todd wasn’t fully paying attention to Scully’s discomfort as he looked to the left and squinted for a long moment, a look of shock following immediately thereafter. “Son of a…Dana, hold that thought, I need to go tell Mister Davis that my booths are not for whatever he’s doing with his date. Gross.”

                Scully sighed softly in relief as Todd ran to the other end of the building, the instant berating of his customer in the darkest corner of the bar, tucked away in a booth that was barely visible from the front. Mulder cleared his throat as he took a tentative drink of the Scotch, not hiding that he was stealing a glance at her as she turned the barstool until her back was aimed at the wall, her left elbow against the bar lip. The song on the jukebox was distinctly by Radiohead, the lyric “What the hell am I doing here?” hitting Mulder directly in the gut. It was just loud enough that it did a lovely job of drowning out the bitching session from Todd in the back as the awkward silence continued in front of the bay window. She was afraid but not for the same reasons that Mulder was inferring from her body language as he finally allowed his eyes to lift away from the cup between his thumbs.

                “How long are you going to pretend like I’m not here?” Mulder’s tone was less than pleased as he blinked slowly, soaking in every little move she made as she brought the glass down from her mouth.

                Scully raised an eyebrow at him and felt the bravery burning beneath the remnants of the alcohol in her throat, both hands folded in her lap after setting the glass down. “That depends on how long you plan on sitting over there while I’m over here…”

                “I figured you needed the extra distance since my mere presence put a damper on one hell of a flirtation session that you were having with the bartender, Scully,” Mulder’s jealousy was radiating off of him like sweat as he took another healthy drink of the Scotch and fidgeted on his barstool.

                Scully bit down on the tip of her tongue and felt her heart thudding against her breast bone, anxious to get out as she white knuckled the edge of the bar. “How long were you standing there listening, Mulder?”

                Mulder was half hiding behind the glass of Scotch, his eyes glued to the top of the lacquer bar top, knowing that the frustration was mounting. “Just long enough to know that our strictly professional relationship is in pieces and you’re still stuck, standing in my fucking hallway? Is that what you want me to say, Scully? That I heard you opening up to a complete stranger about how you really feel about me?”

                His intensity was equally frightening and thrilling as Scully nearly dropped the rocks glass, accidentally splattering some of the contents on her fingers as she gathered it haphazardly in an attempt to keep it upright. “Mulder…that’s not what I…look, would you just come sit by me and make this a little less awkward for me, please?”

                “I don’t think you want me sitting next to you right now, I am liable to say something loud and make everything far worse than it already is,” Mulder was white knuckling the edge of the bar, his eyes barely lifting until they met hers.

                Scully stared down at her lap for a moment, feeling that pang of guilt and sadness meandering through her chest as she inhaled a sharp breath. “I’m not asking you to not be angry or change your mind; I just want you next to me.”

                Mulder gripped the glass as he rose from the swiveling stool, his lips pressed together while he took careful steps in her direction, staring her down as though she were a deer at the end of his crosshairs. Scully wiped her fingers on a nearby place napkin and kept the burning gaze locked on him, the heat rising in her chest as she held her breath for longer than she should have while he made the curve of the bar and stood directly in front of her. It must’ve been humorous for anyone that might’ve been witnessing the hunter stalking the hunted but the only feeling that Scully felt ravaging her body was conflict—to run or jump him right there on the bar. The choice, while undeniably ridiculous, was his.

                Mulder put his drink onto the bar just inches from Scully’s, gathered her jacket across his arm before she had a chance to reach for it, and re-established a comfortable seated position on the stool next to hers, swiveled in her direction. “Now that I’m here—are you going to explain to me what I walked in on or are you going to push your luck into thinking I’m going to forget about it entirely?”

                Scully tossed the remainder of her glass of Scotch back with the presence of Mulder’s half tense, half frustrated energy sitting directly next to her and him casually holding her jacket wasn’t making it any better as she turned her entire body toward the end of the bar. “Todd, if you’ve got that little situation under control…I think I’m going to need a little assistance if you’re not terribly busy?”

                “You’ve got to be fucking kidding me, I don’t want to see this, Scully,” Mulder was not in the mood for Scully’s flirting directly in front of him as he started to stand up again, not bothering to hide the pure disgust as it poured out of him.

                Scully grasped his wrist and bit down on her lip, locking him in that same gaze that had him so captivated in his hallway, before the world came crashing down, before fate’s cruel hand ripped the rug out from under them. He would never admit it to her but she made him go weak in the knees as he settled back down and glanced down at her fingers still gathered across his skin, her middle and index in the crease along his thumb. She was pulling a “you first” and the stalemate was resulting in Mulder’s dry throat and clammy hands as his eyes imagined his lips all over those rosy cheeks. Mulder cleared his throat as his ears went hot while he felt Scully’s warmth creeping in along with the vibration of her trembling that she could no longer hide. They had unleashed a little chaos between them as Mulder followed Scully’s lead and finished his drink just as Todd was walking back toward their end of the bar.

                “Musical chairs? I love that game!” Todd had one of those coy smiles that Mulder would’ve liked to wipe right off of his face but the quivering digits still squeezing his hand had him quiet as the bartender’s mouth opened. “Sorry that took entirely too long to explain to one of my very loyal regulars why a public sex act in a bar is still a crime in spite of it only carrying a misdemeanor charge. Clearly, you two need another round?”

                Scully cloistered a laugh as she nodded, pushing her glass forward with her left index, the effects of the previous drink already evident as she felt her head swimming just enough to lack a filter. “There’s friendly and then there’s, just take it home, no one needs to see that, right?”

                “Oh, he’s harmless—but I don’t need to sanitize a booth because he doesn’t want to pay for the hotel room,” Todd poured their drinks and added a fresh cube or two of ice to both before sliding them onto clean napkins, glancing outside at the sidewalk for a moment. “Not looking good outside for the two of you…that rain hasn’t let up since you sat down.”

                Both turned to look and sighed in unison, realizing that leaving wouldn’t be the easiest of options with the sidewalk looking more like a creek by the minute. Scully chuckled far louder than she had wanted to as she looked back toward Todd, sipping the Scotch to avoid the immediate questioning from both of them as it came out of nowhere. Mulder gave her a sideways glance and leaned against his hand, rotating his barstool a little to stare her down a little better. His facial expression softened as he found her already stealing a glance at him from the side of her rocks glass, the smirk almost immediate as he watched her clearly swallow wrong and nearly choke in the process.

                “What’s got you all giggly, Dana?” Todd furrowed his eyebrows at her and smiled wide as he started to address more clean glassware on the edge of the bar.

                Mulder raised an eyebrow at her, the sly grin on the edges of his lips as he lifted his glass to take a swallow of his own drink, emphasizing that he actually knows her in front of Todd. “Yeah, Scully, what has you so giggly?”

                Scully knew that Todd was instantly confused and rightfully so as she felt Mulder’s knee pushing against hers, coaxing another reflexive giggle in spite of the resistance she was attempting to put up. “Irony…so much irony.”

                “So I know why lil miss giggles is here but what made you get yourself soaked to the gills and come out here…I didn’t catch your name, by the way,” Todd rolled his eyes a little at them as he looked directly at Mulder’s half disheveled face, his semi-damp hair a little messy as he ran a couple fingers through.

                “Oh, sorry, it’s Fox Mulder…but I go by Mulder, please don’t use the first name, only my mother uses it,” Mulder fondled the top of the glass, redirecting his ice around in the middle of his Scotch. “I found myself sitting on my couch thinking about everything that wasn’t right in front of me that I really wanted to be there and had to clear my head before I said or did something stupid.”

                “Well, what exactly is your definition of stupid, Mulder?” Scully couldn’t help herself as she was watching the hemline of her skirt do a dance against the side of Mulder’s knee as he continued to intentionally rub it against her.

                There was an air of strategy in the comment but the words played against Mulder’s psyche like a well-placed, knowing, hidden grope in the middle of a crowded room that left him breathless. Their third party had grown increasingly confused and intrigued by the seemingly instantaneous chemistry, clueless to the reality that they had been discussing one another in vague, yet captivating detail. Scully wasn’t a game player but she had him trapped via a Fool’s Mate maneuver and he knew it as his eyes followed the glass as she drew it up to her mouth, tasting the Amber liquid with her eyes closed this time. It was driving him insane that he didn’t know what she was after with any of this other than his reaction.

                “That’s a trap question if I’ve ever heard one, Scully,” Mulder didn’t like being tested but he could tell she was doing it as she placed her half emptied glass on the bar top as he averted his line of sight toward Todd. “Doesn’t it sound like a trap to you, Todd?”

                “Most questions asked by the fairer sex are traps, Mulder and judging by the look on her face, yes, it’s a trap,” Todd was regretting that imposed rule about not drinking on the job as his eyes bounced between the two of them. “Why do I get the feeling that I shouldn’t be leaving the two of you unsupervised again? Something going on here that I should know about because bartenders are suckers for the juicy bits…?”

                Scully was feeling the discomfort of a two against one as she tilted her head and contemplated the liquid courage in her hand but thought against it as she felt the tipsiness swirling in her belly. “Oh no, you can’t go agreeing with each other. How is that fair?”

                “Hey Todd, we need another round down here,” the larger booth near the back had become a little louder as the group of people had run dry on their alcohol.

                “Damn…Be right there!” Todd snatched up the necessary tequila and beer chasers, along with a stack of shot glasses before meandering toward the end of the bar. “Behave yourselves till I get back, okay?”

                Mulder waited until Todd was barely out of earshot to go back on the defensive as he eyed Scully’s drink, the irritation evident as her eyes averted toward her glass. “Maybe I need to just go since it’s more than a little apparent that you are tipsy and it’s less than strictly professional to be around each other while under the influence of alcohol.”

                Scully felt her stomach drop as he was already halfway to his feet, rummaging through his pockets for cash to pay for his drink as she finally dug deep for the words, her voice shaking with every syllable. “Do you ever think about that night like I do or am I really alone in all of this, Mulder? Am I killing myself for nothing?”

                “I walked in on you baring your soul to a perfect stranger in a bar looking more comfortable than I can fully describe and now you want me to open up to you when you couldn’t even grant me the same courtesy? Jesus Christ, Scully,” Mulder wanted to throttle her as he took a healthy drink of what was left of his Scotch, feeling the burn immediately after swallowing, still holding her jacket across his left arm as he stood above her.

                “I deserve that,” Scully stood, kept her eyes glued on his, pulled the small wad of cash from his hand and pushed it into his front pocket, coaxing a less than expected audible gasp from him in the process, her voice soft and melodic as she looked up at him. “Now, could you please just sit down and let me try? I didn’t know how to tell you how I feel but now that you know, talk to me.”

                “I think you’re just trying to win an argument with what you just did, Scully,” Mulder slowly let the air out of his mouth and felt the heat rising in his cheeks, through his ears, down his neck, as he looked at her. “It’s working.”

                They both sat back down and Scully took a sip of her Scotch, a sly smile creeping across her lips from behind the rim of her glass. “If putting the tips of my fingers in your pocket is all it takes to win an argument with you, I’d be interested to see what would happen if had been the entire hand.”

                “Flirting with Todd, flirting with me, is this is what happens when you get drunk, Scully?” Mulder knew her better than that but the words still slipped out as he turned his barstool toward her while she leaned against the back wall again.

                Scully shook her head and slid forward, almost to the point that her backside was on the edge of the stool, her knees comfortably sliding between Mulder’s. “I don’t know if you’re entirely qualified to know when I’m flirting or not but I’m not flirting with the bartender.”

                “Are you entirely sure about that?” Mulder swallowed hard as Scully re-crossed her legs, purposely bumping against both of his inner thighs with every move he made. “Don’t go pulling a Sharon Stone on me, Scully, I don’t know if I can handle it right now.”

                There was something playful hidden in Scully’s voice as she bit down on her bottom lip and nearly finished off the Scotch in her glass. “I’m pretty sure Sharon Stone wasn’t wearing any panties in _Basic Instinct_ , Mulder.”

                “That’s kind of a risky assumption considering I don’t actually know of a time I’ve witnessed you drinking anything other than wine,” Mulder’s fingers were rickety against the rim of his glass, the Scotch nearly going topside as he utilized it to calm the sudden rise in anxiety.

                “Not that you’re in any rush to find out if I’m lying or not, though, right, Mulder?” Scully’s voice dropped an octave as she egged him on, clearly daring him to make a move or shut his mouth, as she pushed an ice cube past her lips, the childishness on full display.

                Mulder did a double take at the woman that he had spent the past five years stealing the most abrupt of touches and glances, completely taken by surprise over the pass she had just made at him. She had him backed into a corner but not defenseless as he could hear the ice cube rattling around inside of her mouth like a rather large dinner mint. Her right knee was unusually high after crossing both legs and positioning them between his, almost too closely as he could feel the heat radiating off of her through his inseam via her shin as he made any movement, in any direction. Scully hadn’t made any attempt to slide away from him as she used her side and elbow to comfortably brace against the bar, her smirk still lingering as Mulder pressed both of his lips together before swiveling her barstool until she had to hold on with both hands to keep from sliding directly off.

                “I’m pretty certain that a maximum sentence for lewd or dissolute conduct in public is ninety days in jail and a tiny little three hundred dollar fine but guys like me don’t exactly do incredibly well in behind bars since most of the time the badge gets found out pretty fast,” Mulder’s hands slid carefully to the hem of Scully’s skirt, where his fingers wasted little time in sliding under the first two inches, pushing the material up until a run in her pantyhose was visible above her knee. “Scully, you have a run in your hose.”

                “There is? I hadn’t noticed…” Scully glanced at the finger length run in her nude nylons, her pristinely white skin peeking out through the shreds as she bit down on her lip and blushed as she held onto her bar stool, pulling it under her a little better. “Maybe you should check to see how far up it goes, for scientific purposes?”

                “Are you two for real right now? I leave you alone for literally five minutes and you’re already getting fucking handsy on a pair of bar stools after I just got through having that little discussion about my regular customer getting all illegal in a booth?” Todd’s voice brought them both back to the reality that they were sitting in the bar, erasing the line between them without a second’s hesitation.

                “Actually, you just put a massive damper on five solid years of percolating…way to go, Todd,” Mulder gave Scully’s thigh a fairly firm squeeze and made eye contact with her as he heard her inhale rather sharply. “On second thought.”

                “Wait…five years? You’ve been talking about each other all night, haven’t you?” Todd rolled his eyes as Scully put her hand over the top of Mulder’s hand, preventing him from drifting further up her skirt. “I feel like I’ve just facilitated way too much sexual energy without even realizing it.”

                “I don’t know about a damper, Mulder, more like a tiny, little pause?” Scully had a lot more on her mind than the alcohol still running through her veins as she winked at him and tapped the top of his hand. “It’s not that late…yet.”

                “Here I am, thinking I have two broken individuals who needed to forget about their problems but were, in reality, airing their feelings in front of the other person, half anonymously,” Todd rubbed his eyes and glanced at the clock, exhaling loudly. “I feel like I need a fucking shot before shift ends out of the mind fucking you two just delivered. I hate exercising and my brain definitely hates aerobics.”

                Mulder couldn’t help but be a little amused over the reaction from Todd as he furrowed his brow at him. “You wanted all of the juicy details and you got exactly that…just not how you imagined it, which is the problem, I’m sure. Didn’t he ask for that, Scully?”

                “Yes, he absolutely did and said not to spare any tidbits to boot,” Scully was growing comfortable with the hand against her thigh but she would’ve been lying if asked if it were enough as she glanced at Mulder’s waiting, now palpable bottom lip that was staring at her. “He was an absolute hound for information…now he seems to be regretting such a request.”

                “I think I’m going to violate my own rule and I’m going to have a shot, do you want a shot? I think we should have a shot and toast to this cluster fuck of a night in which we discover that this mother fucker right here slings drinks to two flirty little assholes who want to give him an aneurysm,” Todd started rambling, mainly teasing them as he poured three shots of tequila without hearing an actual acceptance of his offer. “These ones are on me since I brought it on myself. To aneurysm causing third person chitter-chatter.”

                Scully’s eyes widened as she picked up the small, gold rimmed shot glass, the smell hitting her nostrils from nearly a foot away, instantly making her entire face pucker. “To all of that whining and getting caught in the rain on a Sunday night to catch more than one person a little unaware.”

                Mulder contemplated the shot glass perched between his fingers and gazed at the woman across from him, her eyes managing to captivate him even more than they already had been for the past five years. “To finishing so much unfinished business so we’re no longer aimlessly trapped in that hallway.”

                Scully’s facial features softened as Mulder pushed his shot glass against hers, but neither made a move toward their mouths to take even a sip. “I haven’t even gotten there yet and I’m already on fire.”

                Mulder knew the quote she was referencing as he set his shot down, pulled the still full shot glass from her fingertips and placed it next to his own on the lacquer bar top. Mulder’s words hadn’t fully been illuminated toward her in regard to everything that he felt for her but his actions spoke volumes as he guided her fingers within the palm of his hand while his free hand gave a tug to the edge of her barstool, eclipsing the space between them. Scully wouldn’t have dreamed of turning away, not even for a second, as the air between them disappeared and the moment that had eluded them before came without anything to stop them this time. Like a dance, their palms slid apart and into the sphere of the other as lightning did strike when their lips finally met, fitting together as though they’d practiced this, rehearsed it, imagined it into life. Neither one of them gave a damn about an audience as eyes fluttered shut and Mulder gathered Scully closer to him, reveling in the closeness that had evaded them for far too long. They had imagined this moment, in repetition, for days and nothing could’ve quite prepared them for it as Mulder’s hand tilted Scully’s head back to fully drink her in, in spite of the mutual taste of Scotch on their tongues. The intoxicant was no longer what they had been drinking as eyes closed and hands slid through hair, desperate to hold onto one another for as long as fate would allow.

                “Ok…no second base shit or I’ll throw you both out,” Todd tossed back his shot with an almost surrendered tone with a hint of satisfaction underneath and coaxed resistive laughter from both of them as they forced the incredibly vocal, open mouthed kiss to come to a screeching halt.

                Scully groaned, keeping both eyes closed as she held onto Mulder’s collar, her bottom lip brushing against his just lightly as she started to speak. “I don’t even think you understand just how high those flames are and you only tossed a half full bucket on them expecting to put a stop to something.”

                “I don’t have nearly this much trouble with the twenty-one year old, amped up college students that come in here to cut loose,” Todd picked up their shots and nudged their shoulders. “Five years or no five years…you’re not horny teenagers.”

                “Certainly not a teenager, anyway,” Scully had one of those knowing smiles on her face as she matched Mulder’s drink for drink shot on shot of the tequila, the sour expression momentarily returning as she swallowed. “Now I remember why I don’t drink.”

                “Scully I better take you home before you go and get us both in more trouble than we’re already in,” Mulder was feeling his alcohol but it was clear that her Scotch consumption was a little more potent than his own as her fingers lingered against the front of his shirt, pulling him closer.

                “Mmmm…therein lies a question, mine or yours?” Scully pulled her jacket on and pulled a couple of favorable bills from her pocket while Todd scooted off to the side to call them a cab.

                “Do you really care which one, Scully?” Mulder had cash in his hand as he discarded it next to hers, before leaning in to get a soft, quick peck on the lips from Scully as they both stood up, his thumb lingering under her chin.

                “Not even a little bit,” Scully held that stance, stretched up on her toes and tugged on the center of his bottom lip with her teeth while her hands slid around his waist.

                Mulder groaned, closed his eyes briefly and slid his arm around Scully’s shoulders, enveloping her in an embrace before glancing toward Todd. “Is that cab on the way?”

                Todd nodded, gave Mulder one of those little smirks and put the empty shot glasses into the bin with the rest of the empty glassware. “You’re welcome, you two…maybe you’ll show up here again on another rainy night?”

                They didn’t need to answer the question as it was an unspoken understanding between two parties that were aware of the role that this little space had played in unraveling the broken, needing to be repaired pieces of their very mishandled hearts. The smiles were exchanged, hands shook with care, and the door pushed open, exposing them to the elements that brought them to the bar to begin with. It wasn’t the same as they went out into the rain, the downpour as heavy as it had been earlier but without the bitter reminder that had plagued them earlier. It carried fluidity in spite of the cold chill that the wind inspired as they neared the edge of the curb, waiting for the cab to come. The previously “handle with care” and “avoid at all cost” neon light that had been permanently affixed to Mulder and Scully was now gone, exposed as the self-imposed, invisible restraints were eliminated between them and they could look at one another knowing exactly how long, and hard, they had weathered the storm—within arm’s length of each other and no longer had to go without.

                “Next time pick up a phone and call me,” Scully was on the tips of her toes again, the palm of her hand against his cheek as the rain already had them soaked all over again, creating beautiful, shimmering lines down their skin along the curves of their smiles.

                Mulder leaned in close, rubbing her neck with his thumbs, closing the gap between them. “Next time isn’t needed, I’ll be right where I want to be…right there with you.”

                There was no going back as Mulder drew Scully’s lips to his, tilting into another kiss that took the breath away from her in a heartbeat and set off a flash of fireworks in both of their eyes before fluttering closed. Mulder’s hand tangled through Scully’s hair as it glided along the back of her neck, the warmth of his skin triggering a chain reaction of goosebumps down the expanse of her back, underneath her damp layers of clothes. The shudder reverberated against him and instigated a low, guttural groan as he held her tighter, craving more of her…needing more of her. Scully couldn’t help herself as the moan ricocheted into his mouth while her hands desperately held onto his midsection until her hands were laced together at the middle of his back, the urgency building. Their hearts, thudding in unison against one another, were set ablaze from within and reflected like gold of each droplet of rain that touched each inch of skin, multiplied by two. They had spent so long as soft light, flickering from the dark, and now were the embers, deep-burning and unquenchable in the sweetest of embrace as tongues slid past teeth, arms wrapped carefully along muscle, speeding toward the inevitable as the distant glow of headlights illuminated what had been so carefully hidden…until now.

**Author's Note:**

> Merry Christmas, Bob (wilhelmscreamf/Bob79519)! I Truly hope you adore this…I had so much fun writing it.
> 
> For the curious, this bar totally exists and was featured on Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives at one point…I have not gotten to go there but I did a lot of research (photos and the like) to get the feel for the layout of this quaint little dive. It has been around since 1947 so if you’re in that area, check it out.
> 
> References Made  
> “Caught in the Rain” by Revis (Song)  
> “Creep” by Radiohead (Lyric direct mention “What the hell am I doing here?”)  
> Basic Instinct (Sharon Stone)  
> Unknown quote – “She was told to expect fireworks, but his lips set her whole heart on fire.”


End file.
